Purrfect Heat

Chapter 30

We were finally on our way home. This whole business with Diego had brought home to me the fact that I needed a break. I’d been up all day, and I needed to lie down and get some shut-eye. And we were just passing by the General Store when Kingman called out, “Max! Hey, Max!”

“Ignore him,” I told Dooley. “I just want to go home and sleep.”

“Max! Dooley!”

“I can’t ignore him, Max,” Dooley said. “He might have something important to say.”

“He always has something important to say, but I need to get some sleep.”

“Max! Dooley! Yoo-hoo! Over here!”

“Just ignore him,” I said through gritted teeth.

But Dooley had already veered off course. I followed him with a tired moan.

“Max!” Kingman said. “Meet Norma.”

I stared at the small white cat splayed out next to Kingman. The name didn’t ring a bell. “Hi, Norma,” I said out of sheer politeness.

“She’s the cat I told you about,” Kingman continued cheerfully. “About the sweatshop? I heard they closed down that operation. Can you believe it? A sweatshop? In our town? What is this, the nineteenth century or something?”

I studied Norma with more interest this time. “So you were out at the sweatshop, huh?”

“I was,” said the cat in a melodious voice.

“That was really brave of you,” said Dooley.

“Hardly,” said Norma. “Humans never take any notice of cats. I could come and go as I pleased, even slip past the guards and walk right into that place.”

“So do you think this guy Ziv Riding was involved?” I asked.

“Oh, definitely,” said Norma. “He came out there at least once a month, to check up on production, and do some spot checks for quality control. I’d say he knew exactly what was going on out there.”

Now this was news. Kingman grinned excitedly. “I told you she’s the real deal, didn’t I, Max? Huh? You owe me, right? Big time. Am I right or am I right?”

“You’re right,” I said reluctantly. Owing Kingman wasn’t much fun. I needed to bring him a piece of gossip at least equal in size to the Ziv Riding sweatshop story, which was going to prove hard. Then suddenly I got an idea.

“Was Riding out there the night Niklaus Skad was killed?”

Norma displayed a hint of a smile. “If I tell you, what’s in it for me?”

Let me tell you, all cats are hustlers. There are no exceptions.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I heard you can talk to your human, is that true?”

“Yeah, it’s true,” I said with a dark look at Kingman, who shrugged.

“So tell her to bring me chocolate. And not the cheap kind Kingman’s human carries. I want Swiss chocolate. The really expensive stuff.”

“I’ll get you your chocolate,” I told her. “But chocolate isn’t good for you.”

“Let me worry about that.”

“So? About Riding?”

“He was in town. He drove up to the farm in his black Tesla around ten o’clock. Wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly. I heard him talking to the guards. He said he had an appointment in town. Said he needed to get rid of a pesky problem and that he’d never been there.”

“Get rid of a pesky problem. Were those his actual words?” I asked.

She gave me a cool, lingering look from beneath her long lashes. “I never lie, Max. If you’d bother to get to know me you’d realize that.”

I gulped a little, and backed away slowly. The recent episode with Harriet and Diego was still fresh in my mind. I did not need female felines in my life right now. “Thanks, Norma,” I said. “Much appreciated.”

“Thanks, Norma!” said Dooley. “And we’d love to get to know you, wouldn’t we, Max?”

She gave Dooley an appraising look, then said, “No, thank you. I don’t date babies.”

“Oh, burn!” Kingman shouted as Dooley and I walked away. “You owe me, Max!”

“And don’t forget about the chocolate!” Norma added. “Swiss chocolate, Max! No cheap junk, you hear?!”

I held up my paw to show her I’d heard her loud and clear.

“What did she mean when she said she doesn’t date babies?” Dooley asked. “I’m not a baby. I’m just as old as you, Max. Should I have told her?”

“I thought you said you didn’t need the complications of a relationship?”

Dooley glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, but she looks really nice. I guess I could make an exception for her.”

“Oh, Dooley,” I said.